The race for the top two is getting tighter after NU finally beat La Salle

By: Angel B. Dukha III – 6 minutes ago

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National U finally got the better of La Salle on Sunday night with a 22-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-22 victory that not only ended a streak of heartache that stretched back to last season, but also gave the Lady Bulldogs a boost in the race for a top-two finish in the Season 86 UAAP Women's Volleyball Tournament.

“Our goal was to really beat them today,” National U star Bella Belen said in Filipino after the hard-fought victory in front of more than 11,000 lively, boisterous fans at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay. “We really had to do our best because [we knew] it wouldn't be easy.

“La Salle is a championship team,” she continued. “They wanted to win too, but we showed that we wanted it more.”

The Bulldogs improved to 10-2 and took a share of the lead with Santo Tomas idle. In doing so, they displaced Adamson and fourth semi-finalist Far Eastern University as opponents in the final classification round.

Santo Tomas and La Salle will still meet at the end of the elimination round, and assuming the Bulldogs have won their last two games, the battle between the Golden Tigresses and Lady Spikers could be close for a second time. Beat spot.

The Tigresses' other elimination round game will be against the University of the East, while La Salle still has battles with the Lady Falcons and bitter rival Ateneo before clashing with Santo Tomas. The Blue Eagles will go into this game with some confidence after posting a 25-17, 23-25, 25-23, 25-16 win over University of the East in game one.

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After their first win in the last six meetings against the Lady Spikers, the Bulldogs clearly still had no idea of ​​the Final Four, with Vange Alinsug, who finished with 22 points from 20 attacks, talking enthusiastically.

“I'm so happy because we really wanted this to happen,” Alinsug said, also in Filipino, as National remained undefeated in the second round. “I can really see that everyone wanted to win.”

All-round efforts

Belen was a standout in what could be the Bulldogs' biggest game of the season. She finished the game with 14 points of offense and added 14 outstanding receptions. Alyssa Solomon completed the three-way battering ram for NU after scoring 13 points from 12 attacks and a block.

The loss was the first in three games in which Angel Canino was sidelined by an undisclosed injury for the Lady Spikers. But La Salle fought bravely and has nothing to be ashamed of.

Shevana Laput tried to fill that big gap with 21 points, with middle blocker Thea Gagate providing 12 points and most of the Lady Spikers' six blocks. INQ